I'm trying to reproduce a strange font effect that is normally seen in horror movie trailers. In the trailers, a word will usually be flashed on screen, with 'echos' or 'shadows' of the word around it.

I failed utterly to find an example, but I rigged up an image that looks something like the effect:

In some renditions, the shadows overlap the word, in others the shadows don't touch the word; I am not particular.

My question is: How would you achieve this effect on a few words or part of a sentence using LaTeX?

For bonus points: Can the shadow effect be achieved and still leave the surrounding words readable?

[EDIT]For further clarification: I did specify 'LaTeX', but any flavor of tex is A-OK in my book.

3 Answers
3

This solution, using nested stack insets, still has vertical height/depth to the overlay. The relative placement of the insets is controlled by the length parameters (2nd and 4th arguments of \stackinset are (x,y) offsets).

This is just for demonstration purposes. That is, it is not intended to actually look like something you might use but rather to indicate how to achieve some effects which you might find useful in creating something which you would like to use. I thought I would play around with shadowtext and use the excuse to install the emerald fonts. The 'scary' text is in various fonts from that collection: IntimacyDeux, Teenspirit, Webster, Skeetch, TallPaul and Pookie. rotating is used to rotate one sample without taking up space. xcolor is used so that the shadows' colours can be mixed on the spot.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{emerald,texnames,rotating,xcolor,shadowtext}
\begin{document}
\pagestyle{empty}
\noindent\Huge This is some fairly mundane, absolutely non-terrifying text which could not be less scary if it tried. Gentle as a lamb and good as gold.
\shadowoffsetx{3pt}%
\shadowoffsety{5pt}%
\shadowtext{%
\shadowoffsetx{-5pt}%
\shadowoffsety{-3pt}%
\shadowtext{%
\shadowoffsetx{15pt}%
\shadowoffsety{-12pt}%
\shadowtext{%
\Huge\ECFIntimacyDeux SCARY}}}
What in \shadowtext{\TeX}'s name was \emph{that}? Is this text trying to scare me or something? At the very least, it is making this page look a mess\dots
\vfill
\Large
This is some more non-frightening text. Friendly, approachable and keen to assist you whatever your needs.
\shadowoffsetx{-10pt}%
\shadowoffsety{-15pt}%
\shadowtext{%
\shadowcolor{red!60!black}%
\shadowoffsetx{3pt}%
\shadowoffsety{5pt}%
\shadowtext{\shadowtext{\shadowtext{\ECFTeenSpirit Be Afraid\dots Be Veeerrryyy Afraid\dots}}}}
\vfill
\LARGE\noindent This text is just minding its own business, doing no harm to anybody\dots
\begin{rotate}{45}%
\shadowtext{\ECFWebster Somethin' woz 'ere}
\end{rotate}
said somebody. `Go figure,' said Pooh.
\vfill
\noindent Harmless text for armless times\dots \shadowtext{\Huge\ECFSkeetch SCARY Are you scared yet?}
\vfill
\shadowoffsetx{7.5pt}%
\noindent\Large \shadowoffsety{10pt}%
\shadowtext{%
\shadowoffsetx{-10pt}%
\shadowoffsety{-15pt}%
\shadowtext{%
\shadowoffset{3pt}%
\shadowtext{\ECFTallPaul Maybe this is more SCARY\dots SCARIER\dots?}}} Perhaps, or perhaps not so much?
\vfill
\noindent\Huge Now for some decidedly ordinary text\dots
\shadowtext{%
\shadowoffsetx{-4pt}%
\shadowoffsety{-2pt}%
\shadowcolor{blue!40!black}%
\shadowtext{\ECFPookie SCARY!!! Or just WEIRD?}}
\end{document}

The scary text is replicated 10 times by default when using \scarymacro{<stuff>}, but an optional argument can also be used to adjust the number of replications. Replication is printed in colour ranging from red!10 to red!60, scaled between 50% and 100%, and randomly placed within a 1cm x 1cm proximity of <stuff>.